93 Days
Director: Steve Gukas. Cast: Bimbo Akintola, Danny Glover, Somkele Idhalama, Bimbo Manuel, Alastair Mackenzie. 2016. 125 minutes.
This docu-fiction presents the real-life heroism of a group of health workers in Nigeria whose self-sacrifice and quick action saved millions of lives in the face of the Ebola pandemic of 2014.
The drama starts on 20th June 2014, when Patrick Sawyer, a sick Liberian-American diplomat, lands in Lagos airport and is taken to First Consultants Medical Center, where they are suspicious of Ebola infection. Sawyer bullies the staff to let him out of quarantine. Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, the physician in attendance, tries to retain him to run tests for Ebola. The case is confirmed the next morning—the first case in Nigeria. The news spreads. Nigeria has now to gear up to prevent an outbreak which can lead to deaths of millions. On 5th July, Patrick Sawyer is found dead, spreading more alarm. He had caused much trouble in the hospital, and inadvertently infected the health staff.
Ill equipped to meet with a mass spread, the health team starts to admit the newly infected ones. The overworked Dr Stella leads the fight against the deadly disease, providing her fellows with information and procuring protective equipment and mobilizing the government machinery. Soon she shows symptoms and is confirmed of infection. She is admitted to the isolation ward to face death. Suffering intensely and facing death, she still keeps up her faith and courage, inspiring others to fight. Immediately before her death she wishes her son happy birthday over the phone and asks his dad to get him a present. What could have resulted in the devastation of a mega city of twenty million people ended claiming only eight lives out of the twenty infected. Four of the victims were health workers in the First Consultant Hospital. Their self-sacrifice and quick, courageous action prevented a huge human tragedy.
On October 20th, 2014 WHO declared Nigeria Ebola-free.
Bridge to Terabithia
Director: Gábor Csupó Cast: Josh Hutcherson Anna Sophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel Bailey Madison, Robert Patrick. 2007. 95 minutes.
This movie deals with the experience of growing up and reconciling with death. Twelve-year-old Jesse Aarons has two brothers and a little sister May Belle. In school he is often bullied. His teacher discovers Jesse’s artistic talent. Jesse and a classmate, a girl called Leslie Burke, become friends.
On their way back home from school, Jesse and Leslie explore a forest and discover a rope hanging from a tree to swing across a deep creek. On the other side they find an abandoned tree house and rusty vehicles which provide them a magic world of joy and fun. There they meet fantastic projections of their enemies at school appearing as trolls whom they have to fight. They name it Terabithia. They really have a great time there.
Then, suddenly, Jesse received a shocking news. His father tells him that Leslie is dead! She had drowned in the flooded creek while swinging on the rope. Jesse is shattered and disbelieving. Initially he is overwhelmed by a sense of guilt, thinking that he was somehow responsible for Leslie’s death. He throws his paints into the stream. He ill-treats his sister May Belle.
When his father comes looking for them, he thinks it is some dark spirit and tries to run away. But his father’s hug and words of comfort pacify him. He commemorates Leslie by painting her caricature and floating it on the water on a raft. It helps him recover. He reconciles with his little sister and builds a wooden bridge upon a fallen tree so that his sister can cross over to Terabithia. Above the bridge he sets up the motto: “Nothing crushes us.” Together he and May Belle are received by beneficent spirits who welcome them as king and queen in Terabithia. Love and art help him reconcile with the loss. He joyfully takes his sister into the magically transformed Terabithia.
Prof Gigy Joseph
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